Understanding Action, Responsibility, and Freedom: A Philosophical Analysis
Action, Responsibility, and Freedom
Action Definition
Colloquially: Any type of act or event.
In philosophy: Voluntary and conscious operations undertaken by an individual or subject.
Home of the Specific:
- Animal behavior: Often limited to running a genetic program. While some animals learn, many actions are automatic.
- Behavior of a computer: Determined by a program. Operations are automatic, not of free choice.
- Human behavior: While children are instinctive, humans possess the ability to choose between various actions. The human agent can be considered voluntary.
Reasoned Action:
- Reason as the cause: What drives the action.
- Reason and purpose: What action is pursued.
Intentional Action:
Actions are judged as successes or failures. Unforeseen consequences exist, so we understand motives and intentions.
Responsibility Definition
Consists of an obligation to us by our obligations.
Determinism: No freedom exists because there is no action to control the man, so the idea of responsibility is not valid; we can only speak metaphorically of responsibility.
Indeterminism: Actions are free. The subject who chooses freely between different options has the obligation to take care of their action. The problem is unforeseen consequences:
- Some believe these consequences are not proper actions as freely chosen, so we cannot call them responsibilities.
- Others believe that before acting, we foresee the consequences, and although we have not fully expected them, we must pay.
Freedom
External Freedom:
Able to do what we want without anyone or anything preventing it.
Inner Freedom:
Capacity or ability to decide or want different actions, that or this.
Determinism:
Everything is inevitably caused, and the existence of freedom is denied based on the principle of chance.
Genetic determinism: The behavior of a being is determined by its genetic code, which determines our physical constitution and our actions.
Environmental determinism: Our behavior is determined by different types of environmental factors: social, cultural, economic, family. Behavioral change can be influenced by environmental conditions through learning, with rewards or punishments.
Economic determinism: Our behavior is determined by economic factors. There is a social superstructure in which we all live, and man is overcome according to the social class to which he belongs. Key defenders: Marx and Engels.
Theological Determinism: Everything we do is scheduled for a target or a higher divine will. Man is not master of his acts.
Indeterminism:
Distinguish between the determinants and related factors.
Determinants: Human behavior is considered an unavoidable consequence of human factors that one does not control.
Determining factors: The human being is influenced by external factors, but the result is considered.
Indeterminism theological: God knows in advance that humans decide and act, but this does not cancel freedom. St. Thomas Aquinas.
Physical indeterminism: Based on quantum mechanics. The carrying out of the Copenhagen School. Quantum mechanics reveals that in fact a degree of uncertainty prevails.